It's Official
by Meghannna
Summary: Dresses, cuffs, vows, and veils. Just a little wedding fic to get us through the hiatus.


**AN: I'm back... For now. I've been pretty dried up lately, but I thought I'd take a stab at something new today. So, here it is. Who knows how long it will be until another idea hits me, but I hope you enjoy this!**

Andy ran her hands over the lace of her dress one last time as Traci finished buttoning her in. When her best friend ran her hands over her shoulders, Andy let out a deep breath and glanced into the mirror at her side.

"How do I look?" She asked, moving her eyes down her reflection. Her hair was pulled back loosely and the intricate braids at the crown of her head made her feel like a princess. It wasn't often she felt that way—she was either in her uniform or the same three pairs of jeans. Today was different, though. Today was the beginning of the rest of her life.

"You look beautiful," Gail told her and both Andy and Traci whipped their heads toward her in surprise. "What?" She barked, sounding like her old self.

"Thank you," Andy told her honestly and a small smile started to spread on Gail's face. She looked beautiful, too, and so did Traci. Their dresses were bold and understated at the same time, deep blue with a slight glittering across the sweetheart neckline. Normally, it was the dress that made the woman, but Andy had to admit that it was the women that made the dresses. Those dresses were made for her best friends.

All at once, the three of them turned toward the door as it swung open. Dov walked in with his hands over his eyes and Andy laughed. "Relax, we're all dressed," she told him and he slowly dropped his hand. "Hi, Dov."

"Wow," he breathed, looking her up and down before his eyes slid to Traci and then Gail. "Looking good, ladies."

"What's up Dov?" Traci asked with a laugh.

"I need the maid of honor," he said, looking directly at her. "Can I borrow you for a quick second?"

"Sure."

Dov and Traci left Andy and Gail alone in the suite and walked down the hall to the suite where the others were getting ready. Dov bounded into the room and Traci followed him carefully. Sam sat on the couch with his cuffs hanging open and his tie resting untied around his neck.

"What am I doing here?" She asked Sam before glancing at Oliver and then Dov. She wasn't 100% sure what he was doing their either. The suites were meant for the bridal parties and as much as Dov would love it, he didn't quite make that cut.

"Did her vows make you cry?" Oliver asked, holding a piece of paper.

"What?"

"Her vows," Sam said slowly. "Did you cry?"

"She wouldn't let me read them," Traci told him with a sorry smile. "I'm guessing that means they're pretty good. Or, I guess, that they're terrible," she shrugged.

"His are pretty rough," Oliver admitted and Sam reached over to rip the paper out of his hands.

"You know, I'm not sure Andy even wrote hers," Traci said, sitting down on the couch next to the groom. He looked at her with narrow eyes and she nudged him with her elbow. Ever since they'd been working together more, they'd formed their own friendship outside of Andy. "Maybe you'd do better if you didn't read the ones you wrote, either."

"I have a hard enough time telling her how I feel when we're lying in bed," he reminded her and she smiled to dispel any of his doubt in himself. "I'm not really sure how I'd do in a church full of people, Nash."

"What do you think, Oliver?" She asked, turning to look at him. He was studying Sam, doing his best to picture him up at the altar, saying all the things he hated saying even though everyone knew it. His adoration for Andy had never been a secret, but he liked to pretend he had a handle on hiding it.

"I think it'd be best, brother," he told him and Traci looked at Sam again.

The sigh that escaped him could probably be heard back in Andy's suite. He wanted to get it right, that much he knew for sure. But when it came to words, there was this constant, ever present block in his mind. It wasn't so much his mind, actually. The words made it from his mind all the way to his mouth and they just… stayed there. It wasn't just with Andy; actually he was a lot better when it came to Andy. He knew what the stakes were there. Everyone else was the problem and that church was filled to the brim with everyone else.

"What did you say when you proposed?" Traci asked suddenly. "You did that spontaneously, didn't you?"

"She didn't tell you what I said?" He asked, surprised. He was under the impression that women shared everything.

"Andy likes to keep your things between you guys," Traci explained and he smiled at that. "I get the gist of things, but you know your secrets are safe with her, right?"

_They were fighting when he fingered the ring in his front pocket. He was running late for work that morning and left Boo in his crate without taking him out. Andy had gotten up earlier, taken him out and fed him and Sam was supposed to take him out once more before he left for the station and he didn't. He couldn't. _

_ Then, she had the worst day at work ever and railed on him the second he walked through the front door. "You didn't take him out," she said, one hand on her hip while the other flung out to the side pointing at their dog. "He pissed all over his crate, Sam!"_

_ "I was running late," he reminded her, running a hand through his hair. "You saw me at the station. You saw how late I was."_

_ "That's no excuse!" She yelled, pressing the tips of her fingers against her forehead. "You want a dog; you need to take care of it."_

_ "Okay, McNally," he laughed harshly. "Don't talk to me like I'm a kid, alright? I forgot, I ran out of time, I didn't have a choice. It was one time; it will _never _happen again."_

_ "Don't talk down to me, Sam," she seethed, nudging him with her shoulder as she stalked past him. "I just want to take a bath and get into bed. Take him out, please."_

_ "Whatever you say, dear," he called after her with a sigh. _

_ That's when he shoved his hand into his pocket and felt the ring he'd kept hidden there for the past three weeks. Not the same pocket, of course—he did change his pants—but he moved it from pocket to pocket so she wouldn't find it. He wasn't going to propose to her by accident. He wasn't going to let her _find _another engagement ring. She deserved better than that. Hell, she deserved better than Sam, too. Sam didn't know much, but he knew that. He also knew that he never wanted to fight with anyone the way he fought with her. They only fought anymore because they knew that it wouldn't matter, that they'd always make up. They had made it that far and he never wanted to go back._

_ He looked at the bathroom door she had just slammed and back at Boo who was still sitting so calmly on the kitchen floor. Sighing, he grabbed his leash and took him out. As soon as he got back inside, he walked slowly and purposely toward the bathroom. Andy was covered in bubbles, her eyes closed with her head back against the lip of the tub. She didn't move when he entered or even when he shut the door behind him. _

_ "McNally," he sighed, resting on his knees next to the tub. She opened one eye and let her head fall to its side. He smiled at her, silently apologizing, and she opened her other eye before smiling herself._

_ "I'm sorry," she told him, pushing herself up to sit straight. "I don't want to fight with you. It's not your fault work sucked."_

_ "It's fine," he promised and she tugged on the neck of his shirt to bring his lips to hers. He fingered the ring in his pocket again as his forehead rested against hers. _

_ "No, I went insane and it wasn't your fault."_

_ "Well, I didn't take him out this morning," he smiled. "That was my fault."_

_ "I don't care," she laughed, rubbing her wet hand against his stubbly cheek. "I'll make it up to you," she promised with a flirty smile and he bit his lip to keep from laughing. _

_ "Good, I was hoping you'd say that."_

_ When he pulled the ring out of his pocket, she got so excited that she punched him in the shoulder and he fell back. She tried to get out of the tub, but the water and the bubbles made a quick exit dangerous and before either of them knew what was happening, her wet, naked body was on top of his dry, fully clothed one and they were laughing. _

_ "So?"_

_ "Yes," she said, gripping the sides of his face so she could kiss him again. "Yes!"_

"I didn't really say much," he told Traci finally. She nodded, looking again back at Oliver, and he shrugged.

"Just pretend no one else is there," he offered and Sam nodded. "It's you and McNally. Forget the rest of us."

"Sammy," Frank said, entering the room. "We're up."

Sam sighed and looked around the room, receiving elated smiles from everyone and his nerves started to calm. He never once doubted that Andy was the one; that he'd pretty much known since she tackled him. It was the whole idea of marriage that terrified him. He looked at his parents, Andy's parents, even Oliver and Zoe, and he saw what marriage could turn into. Sam never wanted what he and Andy had to turn into anything even slightly resembling any of those relationships.

"Okay," he said, pushing himself to stand. While he cuffed his shirt, Traci hastily tied his tie. Dov handed him his jacket before sliding through the door to join everyone else in the church.

"We'll see you out there," Traci told him and he nodded as Oliver threw an arm over his shoulder.

When Traci got back to Andy's suite, the crowd had grown. She was still in front of the mirror as Gail placed her veil on her head and Tommy looked on. Noelle was chasing Olivia around the room so she could wrestle her shoe on before she walked down the aisle as the flower girl. It was the kind of chaos Andy reveled in—happy with a purpose.

All of those people, in that room and the church as a whole, were there for the biggest, most exciting day or her life. She was marrying Sam Swarek and that, in it of itself, was enough to make it the happiest day of her life. Add everything else going on around them and she was downright ecstatic.

"Is it time?" Andy asked, pulling the veil over her face as she turned to look at the rest of the room. There was a collective gasp and she fanned the train of her dress out nervously. "What?"

"You look amazing, Andy," her father told her and she smiled, squeezing his hand.

"It's time," Traci smiled, picking up the bouquets. She handed Gail and Andy theirs before bending down to hand Olivia the basket of petals. "I've got her Noelle, go relax."

"Thanks, Nash," Noelle smiled. "McNally, Sam's not going to know what hit him."

"He never does," Gail joked and Andy laughed, shaking the nerves out of her shoulders.

"Okay," she smiled, looking at her dad. "Okay, let's do this."

"Your wish is my command," he said, offering an arm. "Ladies?"

The night was ending, but Andy and Sam remained in their wedded bliss on the edge of the dance floor. Dov and Chris were having a drunken dance off and Andy couldn't stop laughing. Sam's hand remained on her hip, fingering the lace every so often. She was swaying side to side, her hip bouncing against his every so often, and his eyes remained glued on her smile.

The vows had come easily once he started talking. She laughed and cried throughout them, but when it was her turn to speak, she sobered and squeezed his hands. She spoke so eloquently with absolute sincerity. She'd kept her eyes securely on his throughout the entire thing, making sure he really understood the depth of her love. And, in that moment, nothing was more clear than how much they belonged together, how right it was for the two of them to be standing together.

"So," she said, her hip landing against his with finality as the music changed to something her friends couldn't challenge each other too. "I guess this thing is kind of official now. You're stuck with me, Swarek."

"I know," he sighed dramatically. "What the hell was I thinking, Swarek?"

"I don't know, man," she laughed, pulling on the lapels of his jacket to make him face her. They both lit up when they were face to face again and her arms twined around his neck. "I'm glad you're stuck with me," she told him seriously and he nodded.

"Believe me," he started, running his fingers deftly over the buttons on her spine. "The feeling is mutual, okay? Let's just hope _you _know what you've gotten yourself into."

"Please," she scoffed, tangling her fingers in the hair at the back of his head. "I've never been more sure about what I want or who I want to do it with."


End file.
